


Asking Hoodfink

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-10
Updated: 2006-05-06
Packaged: 2019-01-19 03:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12402063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Lily Evans is a young, shy girl, who has the brains the size of Albert Einstein. She's gets picked to be a Hoodfink, someone who gives out advice, but what does she do when a James Potter writes to her?





	1. Because Mcgonagall says so

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

  


** Ask Hoodfink **

 

_Hoodfink is the secret identity of a very trouble and confused girl. Is she fit to give out advice, when a James Potter was making her nervous?  
_ __

 

__**_DISCLAIMER:_ ** _MYGOSH! I really do own it. And you have a red hippopotamus with green stripes._   


 

Prologue / Chapter One: Because McGonagall says so   


 

Hoodfink was now the common lingo that went around Hogwarts, people talked about it in classes, common rooms, and if you went in the girls’ toilets, you could even hear them gossiping about who Hoodfink might be, from one stall to the next. 

Even from just walking down a corridor, you’d be able to hear the word, in a matter of 8.5 seconds, according to a Mr Sirius Black.

The pressure was high; no one knew who Hoodfink would be, so everyone was urgently discussing it when they got the chances. 

Everyone hoped it was them. It was a hard job, to be sure, but it was an honour. A couple of boys, or to be more specific, James Potter and Sirius Black, decided that if one of them got it, they’d be the best Hoodfink that Hogwarts ever had, along with the humorous advice that they would be given along. 

It was natural that all of them wanted it. It was unusual that one girl didn’t.

 

“Oh no,” blurted out the pale girl, her already large eyes going even wider.

 “Oh, no, Professor. I don’t think…I can handle the responsibility.”

“Nonsense,” said the stern-faced woman briskly. “Of course you can.” 

As the girl’s drawn face, took a slight tinge of green, the woman decided to add in a kinder tone. “Aw, Miss Evans. Don’t worry about it! You’re a prefect, top-student; you’d be wonderful at it.”

The girl shook her head wildly, a few burgundy strands, highlighted with a light cerise, coming out of her neat bun.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” she said, her voice a low whisper, tinted with embarrassment. 

“Oh!” said the professor disappointedly. “I would have thought you, Lily Evans, would have jumped at the challenge.”

“It’s not that,” she said, her eyes looking at McGonagall pleadingly. “I don’t think I’m good enough.”

 

The woman smiled faintly at that. “Oh, Miss Evans. I beg to differ with that. You, a most responsible and honour-roll student, not good enough? Would you prefer it if we took James Potter as the privileged Hoodfink?”

The girl flushed, turning a bright crimson at the professor’s not very amusing joke. 

“Well,” she said, laughing weakly. “Professor…I really don’t think I’ll be good at it.”

“On the contraire,” said the woman convincingly. “I think you’d excel at it.”

She looked at the girl’s withdrawn face, and sighed. “Miss Evans…you were our first choice, and to tell you the truth, we don’t have any other choices. Except for Mr Lupin…but we’re not entirely sure if he is up to it. Look, do you mind if you just test run it? Maybe after a few weeks, you’d decide you like it. Shall we try that?”

 

The girl, not knowing how to refuse the professor’s suddenly hopeful face, nodded a miserable yes. 

“Splendid!” said McGonagall approvingly. “Now, all we need you to do is a matter of filling out forms. Let’s get to it, shall we?”

The girl nodded again. “Yes,” she mumbled, unenthusiastically. 

 

In her neat handwriting, she filled out a form, stating what she had to do to become a Hoodfink. 

 

** Name:  ** _Lily Evans_  
** House:  ** _Gryffindor_  
** Witness:  ** _Minerva McGonagall  
_ __

 

By signing here, you are agreeing to become a Hoodfink, meaning that you are sworn to secrecy of your identity, and is not certified to tell anyone about the confidential letters, you shall receive, asking nobody for help, except your witness. With that, you understand that being a Hoodfink is influential, and you shall use your authority sensibly.

Stated below are the rules of being a Hoodfink you must follow.

 

1)      Go to all measures to protect your new identity. 

2)      Pretend you know nothing about Hoodfinks, as if you were an average person. 

3)      Asking your witness for assistance is allowed. 

4)      You have a deadline of sixteen days to reply to the letters for help, which has been sent to you. 

 

Please sign below, if you agree to the testimonies. Keep in mind, your signature would act as an act of an _Unbreakable Promise_.

 

Signature of Hoodfink: 

 

****_Lily Evans  
_

 

Signature of witness: 

 

**_Minerva McGonagall  
_ ** ****__

 

__

After she signed it, her eyes hurriedly scanned the page again, and she stared at the smiling professor with horror. 

“An unbreakable promise?” she said, her quiet voice rising shrilly. “Does that mean if I break it, I shall die along with the promise?”

“Oh no!” said the professor, looking scandalized. “The Hoodfink council just finds that oddly amusing.”

Lily started to breathe again. “Oh,” she said, her voice now returning to normal pitch, which was a soft whisper. “If I don’t like it…I’d be able to…quit?”

“Absolutely,” Professor McGonagall said firmly. 

 

Her lips stretched out into a smile; a small smile to be sure, but nevertheless, a smile. “Thank you, Professor.” 

“Alright,” the stern woman said, waving a hand to the door. “You are now dismissed.”

 

Lily nodded a goodbye, the small smile now steadily fixed on her lips. 


	2. She can't be the Hoodfink

  
** Ask Hoodfink  
** ** **

 

****_Hoodfink was the secret identity of a very troubled and confused girl. Is she fit to give out advice when a James Potter was making her nervous?  
_ __

 

__****_DISCLAIMER:_ _Falala, yes, I am Jk Rowling. I have nothing better to do than sit here all day and write fanfiction! Go me!  
_ __

 

Chapter Two:  


 

Lily walked out of McGonagall’s office, closing the door gently behind her. She was a mild and quiet girl, with average features, all but her stunning burgundy hair. Too bad that she fixed it in a tight bun, routinely every morning, that way, showing her occasionally trembling chin. 

She wasn’t ugly, but she certainly wasn’t pretty. 

 

“Oi, Evans,” called out a demanding voice. 

Lily spun around, her overlarge robes billowing out. 

 

James Potter.                            

The handsome James Potter. The intelligent James Potter. The good sense of humour James Potter. James Potter was everything. 

He and his friends was what made this school, half of the girls and even boys would say. Every party there was, whether it was a Quidditch celebration, a cliché ball, or just a normal, boring birthday one, everyone knew that it hasn’t started till James Potter was there. Even an average conversation was dull, until James Potter joined in, or even just acknowledged you. 

 

Lily was astounded he knew her name. She might have been the Gryffindor prefect, but she doubted that a dozen people, in the entire school not including the professors, knew her name. 

 

“Oh,” she said weakly. “Um…”

“Evans,” Potter continued in that challenging voice. “You’re a Gryffindor prefect, right?”

Lily nodded shyly. 

“Good,” he suddenly grinned, and leaned in closer towards her. “So tell me who Hoodfink is?”

Lily, who’d been caught up by the numbers of romance novels she had been reading; was expecting something passionate, her face falling when she realized it was _James Potter_ and _Lily Evans_.

Even the names didn’t sound right together. 

 

“Eh, Evans?” said Potter, his eye twitching slightly. “Look, tell me later, all right? I think I got to go…”

Lily watched him silently as he bounded off to join a group of girls, sighing when she saw him protest that he’d even been near her. 

 

She fancied him. To put it in three simple words, Lily fancied Potter. Lily wasn’t sure if it was just a fickle crush though, her feeling seemed so much stronger that that. She knew she had no hope though. _Lily Evans_ and _James Potter_. 

Their names sounded horrible together. Lily Evans would probably pair off with Hedwick Snickle, or someone just as horrible, and James Potter would be paired off with Chantel Aqua. 

 

Speaking of Hedwick Snickle, here he came strolling towards Lily. 

Lily grimaced. She knew that it wasn’t right to say she disliked someone strongly, it was just Hedwick Snickle was terribly annoying. 

 

“Oh hello, Lily!” he said cheerfully. “Big news about the Hoodfink, eh? The word around here is that they’ve already picked!”

“Ha-ha,” chuckled Lily nervously. “Yeh…”

“So,” he said, lowering his voice. “Who do you think it is? I personally think its Remus Lupin, if you’re as smart as him, you’re sure to be the Hoodfink!”

Lily cracked a grin at that one. “Yes…probably Lupin. He is a prefect, after all.”

 

Hedwick Snickle looked mildly surprised with Lily’s approval, of his idea, Lupin being the Hoodfink.  

“Oh yes,” he said eagerly, his squinty eyes becoming wider. “Of course it’s Lupin!”

Lily nodded convincingly. 

“Wait a minute,” Snickle realized. “You’re a prefect too! Lily – you’re the Hoodfink!”

 

Lily gaped at this outright accusation. It was true that she was the Hoodfink, but ten minutes into the task, and someone found out? She tried playing it as best as she could, but wasn’t sure if she succeeded. She hated drama, when it was compulsory in muggle schools. 

 

“Well,” Lily said, trying to lower her voice. “Gosh, Hedwick, you have no idea how much I wish I was the Hoodfink. Wouldn’t it be splendid if I was?”

Snickle looked at her suspiciously, and decided that maybe she wasn’t the Hoodfink. “Yes, yes,” he agreed. “Imagine that! You, the Hoodfink!”

 

Lily nodded with covered-up amusement, not realizing that James Potter and his gang of girls had levelled with the two. 

“Ew,” said a girl scathingly. “She? The Hoodfink? We all know it’s going to be someone like James.”

The girl swept her blonde hair backwards, and let out a burst of tinkling laughter, sounding remarkably fake. 

 

Chantel Aqua. Not as mystique as her name, but certainly shallow. Her bouncy blonde hair was tucked behind one delicate ear, her blue eyes shining brightly. Aqua’s robes were gathered tightly across her waist, while Lily’s were draped loosely around her, looking similar with the curtains.  

 

“Besides,” added Aqua spitefully. “You’d be terrible at it.”

 

Little knew that Lily Evans was the top student of Hogwarts, she a sixth year, even outshining most of the seventh years. James Potter knew this, however, but to restrain his popularity, he kept his mouth shut. 

 

“Oh,” said Lily softly, trying to comprise the air of nonchalance, but failing miserably. “Well, okay then…”

“Crawl home, er…” Aqua yelled, struggling to remember the girl’s name. “Crawl home, you loser!” 

 

As Lily staggered down the long stretch of corridor, out of sight, James firmly removed Aqua’s hands from his waist. 

“That was mean,” he said, keeping his tone light. 

Aqua shrugged. “Girls like her shouldn’t be allowed to be here. She’s just not smart enough.”

 

James stared at her, as if seeing in true light for the fist time. “I hope by that, you don’t mean it’s because she’s a muggleborn,” he snapped.

Aqua smiled sweetly. “Oh that too.”

James groaned with disgust. “That’s horrible. Keep those unnecessary comments to yourself, thanks.”

 

Shaking his head, James strolled out from the centre of the group of girls, intending to head back to the Gryffindor common room. 

 

“What’s wrong, now?” said a chirpy voice, as James muttered the password.

“Nothing,” he grunted.

“Now, now,” continued the voice, coming from the portrait itself. “Tell the Fat lady what’s going on.”

“Lobber-ears, I said!” snarled James. 

“Alright then,” said the Fat Lady, whose voice went from cheerful to stern. “Get in.”

 

James crawled into the hole, as the portrait swung to the side, greeted by three boys. 

“Prongs!” cried a boy, with arrogant grey eyes. “So big news around the school says you’re the Hoodfink. What goes?”

James sighed irritably. “Of course, Sirius, I’m not. Do you honestly think Dumbledore would pick me to be the Hoodfink?”

“If not you, then who else?” shrugged Sirius Black. His eyes abruptly lit up. “Remus! It’s you isn’t it? When were you planning to tell us?”

A lanky boy, slouching nearby Sirius shook his head warily. “No. Not me.”

 

Sirius’ face fell sadly. “Then who is it?”

Lily Evans crawled through the portrait hole, and straightened up, meeting Sirius’ gaze. She blushed and looked down, scuffing her high polished shoes. 

 

“Nope,” said Sirius. “Not _her_.”


	3. Nah. She's not the Hoodfink.

** Ask Hoodfink  
** ** **

 

****_Hoodfink was the secret identity of a very troubled and confused girl. Is she fit to give out advice when a James Potter was making her nervous?  
_ __

 

__****_DISCLAIMER:_ _-inserts an original, funny and unique disclaimer in here-  
_ __

 

__It was time to start Hoodfinking. All day long, Lily had been receiving letters, from countless people. McGonagall held her back in Transfiguration, her last class of the day, just to hand over the letters she’d collected from her office. __  


 

“Continuing it this way, is only going to be suspicious,” said the professor. “Holding you back in my class everyday, just to collect the letters,” she added, as Lily took on a blank expression. 

 

“Oh!” said Lily. “Yes…I agree.”

 

“Of course you do,” said the stern woman in a matter-of-fact way. “I’d expect you to sneak out just before midnight everyday, on a Wednesday, down to my office. Just because you are given permission, to stay up later than others, doesn’t mean you could misuse it. Understood?’

 

Lily nodded silently, holding back a small smile. McGonagall didn’t seem to realize to plenty of people slept after midnight; just staying up for talking, or even partying at some stages. 

She certainly wasn’t the one who was going to tell the strict teacher, she didn’t want to be known as a sneak. Quiet and even unknown was fine for her, but never a sneak. 

 

“As for now,” sighed the professor gustily. “I think it’ll be just fine, if I pass it over. Please remember, Miss Evans, you have a deadline of sixteen days. I expect you to answer these letters in the best way possible.”

 

“Oh, sure,” agreed Lily. 

 

McGonagall suddenly let out an unexpected smile. “I know you’d do well, Miss Evans,” she said kindly. 

 

“Oh,” said Lily, startled till blushing until her ears turned a bright red. “Thanks, Professor.” 

 

McGonagall nodded curtly, rustling up a few sheets of paper on her desk. “Here you go, Miss Evans,” she said, passing Lily a huge stack of neatly tied letters. “The deadline’s in sixteen days.”

 

“Ah,” said Lily, gawking at the letters that reached her chin. “Uh, well. Thanks, I think.”

 

She struggled with it, having to tuck the letters in with her chin. “Bye, Professor,” she said, heading out of the door, and giving a tentative smile to the stern woman. 

 

“Okay,” she said, speaking to the air, rather than herself. “You’d do well, Lily, don’t worry about!” she mocked the teacher, screwing up her face. “Huh, yeh. As if. Wondrous Lily shall fail at her task. Headlines in the Quibbler, going _Prefect fail all subjects_.”

“Who you talking to, Evans?” asked a faintly amused voice. 

 

Lily spun around. “Black!” she exclaimed, obviously startled. 

 

She had no idea that he knew her name, first Potter, and now Black. Perhaps the end of her day wasn’t too bad after all, with Aqua and her gang teasing her, and her slipping on to Severus Snape’s lap by mistake. 

 

“So who you talking to?” repeated Sirius Black.

 

“Oh, you know,” Lily said, frantically trying to think of an excuse. “Er…I was just going…well – I say things aloud to…remember. Absolutely!”

 

“Absolutely,” said Black, throwing her an odd look. “Anyway, I was wondering. You’re a prefect right, Evans? Well – who’s the Hoodfink, then?”

 

“Oh, er,” Lily stammered. “I don’t know,” she burst out hastily. “No one does. Well, of course the Hoodfink does, but I mean I don’t.”

 

“Really?” asked Black, musing over the whole Hoodfink idea. “I mean…someone has to know.”

 

“Haha,” laughed Lily weakly, not quite sure of what she was laughing at. “Yes, indeed. Well, I’m just going to go…bye.”

 

“Wait,” said Black, suddenly frowning. “Where are _you_ going with all those letters?”

 

Lily said the first thing that came to her mind. Letters were linked with owls, and owls were connected to the Owlery. “The Owlery!” she cried, punching the air, pleased with her quick-wit. “Oh that is, I mean er- yes, well. I miss my family. I get home sick very often.”

“Really?” said Black. “I could never miss my family. Idiots, them.”

 

That was a fact that Lily didn’t know. “Isn’t that a bit rude, though?” she asked, looking up at him with wide-eyes.

 

Black was handsome. To not go into minute detail about his wonderful eyes, and longish hair, he was just basically handsome. Even James Potter, when compared to Sirius Black, looked slightly dowdy. 

 

“Naw,” said Black. “Ever heard of the Blacks? The purebloods, you know?”

 

Lily shook her head silently. 

 

“Well,” started Black. “They hate muggleborns. The end.”

 

“That’s not fair!” snapped Lily, her shyness vanishing. “I’m muggleborn!”

 

“Exactly,” agreed Black. “It isn’t fair. They think that muggleborns aren’t quite as smart as purebloods. Load of shit, if you ask me. I mean, look at you. You’re muggleborn, right?”

“Yeh…I am,” said Lily, not sure of what that had to do with anything.

 

“Well, you’re smart, and you’re a prefect!” Black snarled, his face suddenly twisting into a grimace of anger. “God, I hate my family so much sometimes. You know, if they find out that the Hoodfink’s a muggleborn, I bet they’re going to burn the school down.”

 

“That’s terrible,” gasped Lily, playing very well at the part of side effects. 

 

“I know,” said Black, smiling grimly. He continued down the corridor along with Lily, to the Gryffindor dorm. “They tried to get me to believe like them…lucky I have cousins and uncles that disagree with them.”

 

“So – what? You live with them still? Is that even possible, after you fight with them, like that?” Lily asked, looking disgusted with Sirius’ family.

 

Sirius turned to Lily and chuckled. “Of course not! I live with the Potters. Just did, last year.” 

 

“You live with the Potters? Really?” asked Lily, awed by anyone who could claim they lived with James Potter. “How’s it like there?”

 

Sirius shrugged. “You know. It’s alright, I guess. But sometimes, I just wish that I had an actual family. A real one. Those picture-perfect families where they all sit down at dinner, and just talk about anything!” He turned to her with anguished eyes. 

 

“I know how you feel,” said Lily gravely. “Ever since I became a witch, my sister’s been ganging up on me, and every time I go back home, she either ignores me or makes fun of me. But your’s is worse. I know my sister isn’t evil.”

 

Sirius let out a short laugh. “Be thankful for that, Evans. Oh look, we’re here.” 

 

They stopped outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, Lily still musing over Sirius’ family, and Sirius suddenly looking awkward and uncomfortable. 

 

“Look, Evans,” he said hesitantly. “It’s been great talking to you and all, but – do you mind if I enter first? You know…”

 

Lily did know. He didn’t want to be seen with her. She half-turned away, so that he couldn’t see her disappointment. And here she thought she had made an actual friend. 

 

“Sure,” she said stiffly. “I’ll come in after.”

 

“Really?” asked Sirius, looking relieved. “Thanks, Evans.”

 

As he disappeared through the portrait hole, Lily kicked the wall, and waited. She then realized that Sirius hadn’t asked about the letters. Did he suspect she was the Hoodfink? Naw, he wasn’t that smart. Probably forgot all about it. 

 

After Lily was fairly certain she had waited longer for five minutes, she took a deep breath and mumbled the password to the Fat Lady, awkwardly climbing into the common room. 

As she entered, she avoided everyone’s eyes, feeling as if they somehow just looked at her, they would know her secret about the Hoodfink. 

 

“Hey, Evans,” called out a cheery voice, waving her over. 

 

Lily looked up, startled, and saw that it was Sirius. She snorted. He was probably feeling guilty that he left her alone out there. 

 

“Hello, Black,” she said. “Hi Remus, Potter,” Lily said politely, turning to Sirius’ friends. 

 

“Hey Lily,” replied Remus, giving her a small grin, yet puzzled at why his friend had invited her over. 

 

Lily and Remus were close acquaintances, not close enough to call friends. Through their long prefect meetings, they had met the other, and decided they had similar likings. 

 

“How you doing, Evans?” drawled James, and ruffled up his hair. 

 

“Good,” she replied shortly. “I got to go. I’m sleepy, see. Bye.”

 

With that cutting and not quite so polite sentence, she turned to leave, her letters wobbling under her chin. 

 

“Wait,” said a firm voice. 

 

Lily turned around slowly, trying to balance the letters. “Er,” said Sirius, looking uncomfortable again. “I was w-wondering…if you want to come to Hogsmeade with us?”

 

Lily choked at this. “I’m sorry…WHAT?”

 

Even Remus looked politely incredulous at this. “Are you drunk again, Sirius?” he said, trying not to look rude. 

 

“No,” replied Sirius, waving off the lingering girls, in a bored fashion. “The next Hogsmeade trip. Want to come with us?”

  

Lily blinked. “Uh…su-sure,” she said shyly. “But I have to go now. Sorry.”

 

With that, she once again headed up to the Girls’ Dormitories, feeling quite stunned about the plans she now had. 

 


	4. Hoodfinking

** Ask Hoodfink  
** ** **

 

****_Hoodfink was the secret identity of a very troubled and confused girl. Is she fit to give out advice when a James Potter was making her nervous?  
_ __

 

__****_DISCLAIMER:_ _Indeed. I am JK Rowling. All bow down to me. Psh.  
_ __

 

 “Well, I do find that funny, Potter being a prat enough to do that,” drawled a voice from the dormitories. “How could someone be so stupid?”

                                                        

Lily glanced up, the letters blocking off her view. “Could someone get the door for me, please?” she asked meekly. 

 

“Oh sure,” said the same voice, and Lily heard bounding footsteps just before the door was roughly opened. 

__

 

__

“Thanks,” said Lily, tilting her head backwards so she could see the speaker. “Oh, Hey Alice.” She gave a timid smile, as Alice exasperatedly tucked her brown hair behind her ears. 

 

Alice Prewitt was a small yet very frank and forthright girl. She wasn’t pretty or anything, but there was something about her that made you think she was attractive. Most likely her personality, realized Lily. Alice stood up for victims of bullies, and had been invited to join the gang of Aqua, but she had given them a flat-out refusal. 

 

“Hi Lily,” said Alice. “What’s with the post?” She gestured to the stack of letters that was still wobbling in Lily’s grasp. 

 

“Oh!” cried Lily, momentarily startled, having forgotten all about Hoodfinking and the letters that she was supposed to reply. “I was working on a bunch of letters to send home to my family,” she said, sticking with her old excuse. “But I didn’t get a chance to send it back home, my owl’s still out there, somewhere.”

 

“Oh,” said Alice, blinking at the huge stack of letters. “Well, let me help you with that. Got a big family, huh?”

 

“Er – yes,” agreed Lily. “Sure do.”

 

As she entered the dormitory, she was met with a few unfriendly stares, and a few that smiled welcomingly. 

 

“Hey Lily,” called out a dark-haired girl, who was frowning down at a piece of paper. “Do you mind helping me with my Charms homework…?” 

 

“Sure, Hestia,” said Lily tentatively.  

Alice struggled to close the door after her, setting the letters onto Lily’s bed. 

 

Hestia Jones was another of Lily’s roommates, an actual friendly, nice one. The short, pink-cheeked girl often struggled with her assignments, and Lily was happy to help whenever she could. 

 

“So what’s the wand movement?” asked Hestia, her large eyes looking frustrated. “I mean, I know you just dart and flick but…it’s so hard, Lily!”

 

“Okay,” said Lily soothingly. “You could practice on my arm, and remember, it’s Feh-ru-la, not Fee-ru-la.”

 

“Feh-ru-la,” said Hestia sulkily, flicking her wand onto Lily’s arm. 

 

Lily’s arm shimmered. “Good try,” said Lily encouragingly, “But you have to stab the air before you flick.”

 

“Oh,” said Hestia grumpily, waving her wand once again. “FEH-RU-LA!”

 

A bandage appeared out of mid-air, and started wrapping itself around Lily’s arm. “See,” said Lily lightly. “You got it.”

 

Hestia was still looking at the bandage, a smile appearing on her cross face. “Oh, great! Thanks, Lily. What’s with the letters, by the way?” She nodded towards the direction of Lily’s bed. 

 

Lily shrugged. “Oh, you know. I miss my family. That reminds me, I still have my er- cousins to owl to. Haha, yes, I have to do my post now.”

 

Hestia gave a small, disbelieving smile. “You post so many letters to your family?”

 

“Er- yeh. Sure do,” said Lily, trying to speak convincingly. “My family’s the…wo-world to me.”

 

“That’s sweet,” said Hestia sincerely. “Thanks for helping me, Lily.”

 

Lily waved off the credit and went back to her post. She took the first letter off the stack, making sure to draw the bed hangings, so that no one would be able to see what she was doing. 

Her greyish green eyes crinkled in a smile as she read the address. 

 

_To the Hoodfinker_

 

It felt good to say that she was the Hoodfinker. Not that she could say it, but it was nice to know that she had earned the role, out of the whole school. She tore open the envelope, taking out the crisp, new parchment. 

 

 

_Hello. I need your help. Urgently. I don’t know who you are, if you’re a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or a Hufflepuff, but I need help. Okay, see. I have a problem, with someone in my class, and he won’t let me forget it._  
_I’ve never did anything to him, but he just annoys me and teases me. Even today, he made me trip over, and dumped cold water over my head._  
_What should I do about it? This doesn’t go public, does it?  
_ __

 

Lily snorted. She wasn’t sure of what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Well, this she could do. It was easy. She had been thinking more of along the lines of people confessing they killed someone, not some fickle little crush. Besides, this sounded like someone she knew. She sneaked a glance at Hestia through a gap from her curtains. Lily smirked. It was Hestia. Hestia had left for dinner in the Great Hall, with her hair soaked, and snapping about Sirius. Lily took her quill, and dipped it dreamily in the ink pot. 

 

_Alright. It sounds to me, like the boy has an issue with you. It’s either that, or he fancies you. You take it for what you want. If you want to know why he’s teasing you, just ask him straight out. If he stutters over his words, he fancies you. It’s quite obvious, really.  
_ __

 

Here she took a chance:

Harmful. 

_And Hestia Jones, you two make quite a match.  
_ __

 

___The Hoodfink  
_ __

 

Lily scanned the letter, to see if any words left a trace that she was the Hoodfink. Perhaps the last sentence was risky, but she was willing to take a chance on that. 

 

She dropped that in her bag, intending to hand it over to McGonagall by Wednesday. Lily worked her way through the letters, smiling every now and then at a frequent letter, the letter generally just like Hestia’s. She wasn’t too fussed about those though, they were just relationships, and that was what she told her writers. What bothered her was a letter she received, outlining his problems in a jagged font. 

 

_Dear Hoodfink,_  
_I like someone. Not just like, I fancy her. The problem is that we’re different. I have enough friends, but she just has a few, and I get the feeling that she doesn’t like me much. People say I’m arrogant. They also say she’s shy. What the hell do I do, then?  
_ __

 

Lily read this paragraph over and over again, frowning at the boy’s actions and bragging. This was different from the other light-hearted letters she had received. 

 

_Be less arrogant, then. If you really fancy her, you’d do something about it. Act nicer to her, include her in conversations, or just acknowledge her. Firstly, try being friends with her. If she’s shy, as you say, you don’t want to scare her away.  
_ __

 

___The Hoodfink  
_ __

 

Lily knew what it was like to be shy, and she knew that if someone just walked up to her, and stated he fancied her, she’d have ran away. 

She looked at her watch, and was startled to realize it was almost midnight, but she was only midway through the stack of letters. Lily sighed, and separated her replies, and letters, hiding them underneath her bed. 

 

“Lily?” asked a quiet voice, hovering behind her. 

 

Lily gave a shriek, and jumped up, to find Hestia looking guilty for sneaking up on her. 

 

“Can I talk with you, about something?” she asked, scuffing her bare feet nervously on the carpet. “It’s something…personal. I mean, I would ask Alice, usually, but she’s kind of sleeping and I thought we could be…friends. That is if you wanted to.”

 

“Oh,” said Lily, thinking that it had been quite a weird day. First, Sirius Black asking her to go to Hogsmeade along with his friends, and now, Hestia wanting to be friends. “Sure.”

 

“I wanted to ask you about Sirius Black…” said Hestia, avoiding her eyes. “Did he ask you to Hogsmeade?”

 

Lily nodded.

 

“Lily!” scolded Hestia. “You know Black! He’s a player, an idiot! He pours water down peoples’ head! Are you sure you want to go out with him?”

 

Lily chuckled, remembering Hestia’s letter, and couldn’t help but think that Hestia had at least a tinge of feeling for Sirius. “Well, Hestia,” she said carefully. “I’m not going out with him. I’m going with him _and_ his friends.”

 

“Oh,” said Hestia, now grimacing at her outburst from before. “Well, that’s good, then. Never trust Black, Lily. He’s an idiot. Trips people over.” With that, she gave a noise of contempt, and strolled back to her own bed. 

 

Lily was still smiling, at how dense the two could be. Hestia liked Sirius, slightly, but she pretended she thought he was an idiot. Which she probably does, but didn’t stop her from liking him. As for Sirius, he just vented out his feelings by annoying Hestia. 

 

She couldn’t be bothered to fuss with her friends’, if they could be counted as friends, love life any longer. 

 


End file.
